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Giovanni Giuseppe (New Earth)
Blue Devil James Jesse read about Dan Cassidy's new super-suit in Stuntman magazine, publicising the upcoming Blue Devil film he designed it for. Jesse refused to believe that the stunt costume was as advanced as the article made out, but decided to investigate it himself as his villainous alter ego. Levitating above Verner Bros. Studios, the Trickster hijacked the suit during a photo shoot, unaware that is was just Wayne Tarrant in a rubber prototype. The real Blue Devil soon followed to rescue his double, and the two special effects wizards duelled in a display of gadgetry and pyrotechnics, until it was the sheer strength of the Blue Devil suit that won out. Trickster managed to slip away while Cassidy attended to Tarrant. James finally decided to profit from his inventions, and acted as a consultant to a new criminal organisation who wanted the secrets behind his levitation. James went back on the deal after hearing their plan, skipping out after only giving them a few pointers while keeping all the money. For his betrayal, they sent an assassin after James, and twice he narrowly evaded murder at the hands of Bolt. Desperate, Trickster hoped being a fellow stuntman would persuade Cassidy to protect him. The two paired up, along with Sharon, and left town to escape Bolt. Infuriatingly for his allies, Trickster couldn't resist the opportunity to rob a bank, regardless of trying to keep a low profile. Blue Devil successfully thwarted his scheme and even saved him from being arrested. They were tracked down by Bolt who ran their car off a cliff. Trickster was able to grab Danny and Sharon and fly them to safety, despite losing one of his shoes. The other shoe was recovered by Bolt, which he took back to his employers to complete their invention. When an earthquake alerted Trickster to the activation of the criminal plot, the three tracked down the secret headquarters using the shoe's unique energy signature. Working together they took on Bolt, but were too late to stop Santa Veronica from being raised into the sky. Trickster was nonchalant about the whole affair since they only copied his right shoe which controlled ascension. The mad scientists didn't have the left shoe to provide descent. Soon figuring out their mistake, the three villainous cohorts begged for rescue. They all survived a water landing, and Trickster provided an inflatable rubber duck life raft. Blue Devil was impressed with Trickster's innovations and asked why he didn't just sell his inventions instead of using them for crime. James reminded Danny that it was selling his inventions that involved them in the whole mess in the first place. Underworld Unleashed Upon reading the obituaries for five of his former associates, The Rogues, who died in catastrophic orchestrated explosions, James Jesse, determined to get out of his slump and score big, took a job with Rainbow Raider. The job was underwhelming to Jesse, however Bivolo shared with him the mysterious package he'd received. It was a single candle that came with a note, which in Bivolo's words explained, "...that the candle -- when lit at the stroke of midnight tonight -- would open the door to fame, power and glory." Trickster was skeptical, and handed back the box to Bivolo dismissively before leaving. However when Rainbow Raider open the box again, there was a rubber chicken in place of the candle. At midnight, Trickster lit the eldritch candle. An intense green light flared, and when Trickster's eyes adjusted he found himself transported to the 'Underworld', along with a plethora of other villains. At first Trickster thought it was an opportunity to 'network' and team up with some of the big players of the criminal world. Soon the host of the gathering arrived, introducing himself as Neron. Trickster happened to be standing beside Fiddler who turned white. He shared his knowledge of gematria with Trickster, saying the numerical equivalent of 'Neron' is 666. After endorsements from Kadabra, Luthor, Circe, Polaris and Joker, Neron then offered everyone their 'hearts desire' in exchange for their soul. Half immediately refused and were sent home, the others were given new or enhanced abilities according to their wants. Only Trickster was left hiding behind a rock, observing. Neron snuck up on him and implied he had been invited all along. Trickster was treated differently by Neron, keeping him in his inner circle without offering him a deal. Unknown if he was the Devil's confidant of just another pawn, Jesse did what he could to figure out Neron's endgame. Eavesdropping eventually paid off. During Neron's punishment of Satanus and Blaze, the former let slip there was a certain word even Neron feared in this realm. Trickster did not know what to make of this until Captain Marvel proved to be the only hero uncorrupted by the evil of Neron's sanctum. At the first opening, he shared his intel with the Big Red Cheese, who knew one such word of power. The magic broke the infernal hold on the other members of the Justice League and they charged Neron. Trickster held Captain Marvel back from joining the fray, and told him his plan to stop Neron altogether. Jesse knew Neron could never resist a bargain, so he instructed Captain Marvel to trade his soul for the release of his friends and the Earth. Neron accepted, but was conned by Jesse, who knew his evil could not handle an altruistic wish. Marvel's pure soul had not been tainted by his influence and the selfless request undid Neron's destruction. Though relieved it was over, Jesse was a little cranky that, "I engineered the greatest sting of all time... and no one saw me do it." Countdown Jesse, unhappy with his desk job at the FBI, grew bored and fell back in with the Rogues. He figured that if the government found out, he could claim that he was working undercover. When Inertia gathered them together in a plot to rob the new Flash of his speed, Trickster was among their ranks. However, the others were hesitant about including him, considering his past with the FBI. As a show of faith, he and the Pied Piper tricked a wealthy businessman into wiring his fortune to the Mirror Master and jumping into the ocean. When the Trickster realized that Piper had in fact kept the man from dying and transferred the money to a charity, he blackmailed Rathaway into transferring the money to him instead. Trickster was present at the Getty Center, where the Flash was killed. Although he had not actively taken part in the murder, he knew that he would be considered just as guilty as the rest of the Rogues. Jesse and Piper decided to work together to stay out of sight. He reluctantly went with Piper to the Flash's funeral. However, after a speech by Wonder Girl stressing the importance of capturing the Rogues, the two fled and decided and go their separate ways. Outside, they were shot by Multiplex and Deadshot. Ultimately Trickster and Piper were arrested and handcuffed together. However, the two escape, but still shackled together, they make their way to Gotham City. From there they are offered partial sanctuary by the Penguin. Unfortunately, Penguin secretly works with the Suicide Squad and turn on the two. Piper and Trickster escaped again and only to be tracked by the Question and Batwoman. Piper and Trickster immediately begin to plead with the two heroes that they personally were not responsible for the death of Bart Allen. Batwoman quickly refuses to believe their innocence and is only concerned with bringing them to justice. The Question however, hears their story at which point Trickster used hand-puppets of themselves and the Flash to illustrate their innocence. Batwoman became furious at the disrespect that Trickster shows, and punches him unconscious. The Question however, believes their story, stating that they are "too stupid to kill time" and decides to let them go. Trickster and Piper inadvertently made their way to Poison Ivy's greenhouse, and were captured. Deathstroke arrived and decided to use them as bait, planting a bomb on them. They are saved by the intervention of Wally West. Wally confines the two at the Green Arrow/Black Canary wedding, despite the warnings that Deathstroke is planning an all-out assault at the occasion. The two manage to escape the wedding assault, inadvertently picking up Double Down as a passenger. The trio stop at a diner in which Trickster and Piper hear out from Double Down of lesser and well known villains being disappeared. The three are tracked down by the Suicide Squad. Double Down is captured, but Piper and Trickster fortunately hid themselves with Trickster's makeshift invisibility field. The two then decide to follow the Squad while still using the invisibility field, and attempts to free the other captured villains. Once they arrived at their destination, (Belle Reve), they encountered and free Two-Face, in which they learn from him that the villains are being exiled to a uncharted planet. At first the duo quickly decide to escape and offers Two-Face the chance in joining them, but he declines in a coin-flip. Having steal a vehicle from the prison, the pair then narrowly avoid capture by Deadshot. Later the two travel on train and after a valiant attempt to save their own lives, and an eventual acceptance of Pied Piper's sexual orientation, the Trickster is shot by Deadshot while trying to defend Pied Piper. Piper is left alone with the corpse of Trickster attached to him still, and is lost in the Mexican desert with his dead companion. As Piper travels across the desert he starts to hallucinate in which that Trickster still talks to him. Piper eventually chops off the hand of Trickster after carrying his corpse as far as he can. While most of Trickster's body remained on Earth, his hand took the trip with Pied Piper to Apokolips. There, the hand fell into Apokolips after being separated from Piper. The planet then seemed to explode after Piper played his swan song for Trickster. | Powers = | Abilities = * James was a career criminal and skilled con-artist employing: ** : James was able to hide his intentions from Neron himself. *** : James played a woman convincingly enough to fool Snart. ** : James utilised his personality to put people off guard, conning them with the even the most basic scams. ** : James was a master of misdirection and slight of hand. He switched out Neron's candle for a rubber chicken right under Bivolo's nose. ** : James was actually a brilliant inventor, his greatest creation being his anti-gravity boots. | Weaknesses = * Glass Jaw: James admits he can't take a punch. Blue Devil tested this out by flicking his jaw with one finger. James was knocked down and almost out. | Equipment = * Trickster's Anti-Gravity Boots: His signature gimmick, the right shoe provides lift, the left, descent. ** * Bag of Tricks: Trickster has used a wide variety of gadgets and gimmicks over his career. ** Flash-Bangs: Small explosives to distract and disorientate. ** Electro-Neuronic Disruptor: A stun device of his own creation. ** Expanding Rings: Coloured rings that change diameter to ensnare and restrain. ** Sonic Blaster: Potentially more dangerous than his disruptor. ** Smoke Screen Briefcase. ** Throwing Magnet. ** Handcuffs with Rubber Chains: To occupy those with super strength who would just break a metal chain. ** Sneezing Powder. ** Rubber Chicken: Conceals a blowtorch in the neck and can "lay" one trick bomb. ** Explosive Bubble Solution: To blow bubbles that blow up. ** Rubber Duck: Inflatable Life Raft. | Transportation = * Mini-Sub: The Trickster once possessed a brightly colored mini-sub patterned after the style of the infamous "Yellow Submarine" of Beatles fame. | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * The Trickster was considered but rejected for the position of The Fool in the Dark Arcana indicating that he was alive in that distorted version of New Earth history. * Blue Devil's civilian vehicle was converted into the Devilmobile overnight by a drunk James Jesse and Jack Edison. | DC = | Wikipedia = Trickster (comics) | Links = * Trickster (Jesse James) at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe }} Category:Secret Society of Super-Villains I members Category:Reformed Criminals Category:Circus Performers Category:Flash Supporting Cast